The annual U12 hurling finals tournament took place on Tues. last Aug. 27th. at Markievicz Park from 6pm onwards.
Each year this event has grown and developed to the point where this year 10 teams took part in 5 separate finals with in excess of 150 players participating on the night. The support of family members and friends for each team involved added considerably to the festive occasion. With good weather conditions and the pitch in perfect condition the stage was set for some seriously good underage hurling.
First up was the C Final between Tourlestrane and Calry – St. Joseph’s. This was very well contested between two committed teams with Tourlestrane just getting the better of things on a final scoreline of Tourlestrane 0-4 to Calry 0-3. The A2 Final was up next between Castleconnor and Naomh Eoin. Castleconnor have done some great work in developing underage hurling in west Sligo in recent years culminating in this final. It was nip and tuck all the way through with a gritty Naomh Eoin team hanging on to a 1 point lead despite the best efforts of Castleconnor – final scoreline, Naomh Eoin 0-6 to Castleconnor 0-5. The B2 final was contested between Coolera-Strandhill and Tubbercurry. Tubbercurry proved to be stronger on the night despite some committed hurling from the Coolera peninsula lads and won on a scoreline of Tubbercurry 0-7 to Coolera-Strandhill 0-3.
The B1 final was contested by Drumcliffe-Rosses Point and Manorhamilton. Here again Drumcliffe- Rosses Point have put in some sterling work in recent years to develop hurling in a new area in Sligo and overall the standard of underage hurling in this final was of a very high order. Despite Manorhamilton’s best efforts Drumcliffe-Rosses Point drove on to victory on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-3 to capture their first silverware – well done to Aidan, Jimmy and the boys. The highlight of the night was the A1 final between two Easkey teams, Easkey Blues vs. Easkey Whites. With both groups of players knowing each others play patterns so well this proved to be an absorbing contest with no holding back. The Easkey Blues eventually took the honours on a final scoreline of 0-8 to 0-5 to capture the trophy.
Many thanks to everbody who played a part in the running of this hugely popular event for underage hurling in Sligo – to Paddy and the Markievicz Park groundsmen for having the pitch in such good condition, to all of the referees, umpires, linesmen; to all of the supporters who brought colour and noise to the occasion and finally to the young players themselves who have proven once again that hurling has a bright future in Co. Sligo.